


Tormund says, "I love you"

by ChocoNut



Series: Many ways to say I love you [82]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: 8x2, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Before the long night, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Matchmaking, Poor Tormund, Season 8, but can't help it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26339662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocoNut/pseuds/ChocoNut
Summary: When the group is gathered around the fire, Tyrion nudges Tormund into confessing to BrienneYes, this is a JB happy-ending. I can't write anything else, can I?
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Series: Many ways to say I love you [82]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234904
Comments: 16
Kudos: 99





	Tormund says, "I love you"

“It might be our last night together,” Tormund prophesied, gazing wistfully at the lady warrior.

Tyrion rolled his eyes at the blatantly obvious gesture and turned away, knowing he couldn’t do more than that. If his brother couldn’t summon the courage to go beyond admiring her from afar and scrambling to his feet to pull out a chair for her, what good would anything he said or did come to?

“We might all die,” the wildling continued to voice his grim predictions. “And I—”

He paused when Brienne politely excused herself and made to leave the hall citing something urgent. Jaime followed suit, and when Tormund noticed Davos and Podrick were engrossed in a conversation of their own, he turned to Tyrion, seeking the sympathetic ear of the only companion he was left with. “And I haven’t had the courage to tell her yet.”

“Tell her what?”

“That I—” the gleam in those eyes intensified “I want her. Since the day I saw her, I have not been able to think of anything but her. Big blue eyes, yellow hair—”

He kept going, but Tyrion chose to wander down a path of his own. Tormund was a threat to Jaime’s heart, but as his shrewd father had once advised him, in every threat lay hidden an opportunity—one that could be converted to an advantage if the recipient of the threat was smart enough. The wildling’s unabashed intentions lit a torch in his head and if he decided to do something about his brother’s distant pining for his lady, it had to be now.

“Tell her then,” he said, breaking Tormund’s endless chain of longing and lamenting. “Now.”

The big man frowned. “Now?”

“What if one of you died in the battle?” Tyrion deliberately put on a sombre tone. “What if you ended up with the worse side of the bargain? Would you be able to deal with the agony of keeping it within yourself forever if she happened to die and you survived?”

“I—” The creases on his forehead multiplied. “I thought—”

“Wouldn’t it be terrible if she died in your arms?” Tyrion went on with his morbid list of possibilities, hoping, deep down, the gods heard none of this. “Every night would be a torment and every day you’d end up wishing you had, at least, told her what’s in your heart. Tell me—”

“Enough,” he grunted, and took a huge swig off his horn. “What do you suggest?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Tyrion noticed his brother and Lady Brienne were back, lingering by the entrance, talking to one of their soldiers. He had to make it fast.

“There she comes,” he pointed out, studying Jaime’s expression carefully when they stepped in. Tipsy to the extent of making his feelings known and smitten to the brim of his heart, the spring in his step and the glow on his face made it doubtless that all it would take would be for someone to light a match around him. And Tormund, it had to be. “Get to your feet the moment she arrives and kiss her hand.”

Tormund was listening in rapt attention. “Then?”

“Then tell her you want to make her yours,” Tyrion hurriedly prompted. The targets of his plan were barely a couple of feet away, almost within earshot. 

“Then—”

“Then she’ll say yes,” he muttered, hoping for it to end up the exact opposite. “And then you can both—”

“—make many big blue-eyed babes together,” Tormund happily concluded. Wiping his beard with his sleeve, he sprang to his feet, right in time to greet Brienne and Jaime when they approached.

“Now,” Tyrion hissed under his breath.

“My lady.” Tormund waylaid her before she could make it to her chair. “There’s something I need to say to you.” 

Confused, Brienne narrowed her eyes. While her reaction was nothing out of the ordinary, Jaime was a sight to behold. The spark had been flung even before the match was lit, and he could see the beginnings of a fire in his brother’s eyes.

“I am yours, my lady,” Tormund declared, taking her hand and planting a deep kiss onto it. “And I hope you will be mine. Together, we can have a life others would envy—”

At this, Tyrion couldn’t help cast his brother another look. And he had to hide a smile at the reaction he was witness to. Jaime had his fingers curled around his weapon, tightly clenched, his whole body, stiff and rigid.

“When this long night is over, come with me,” he continued, completely overlooking the shock in Brienne’s eyes. “I can promise you a life the way you want it to be, of—”

“I can’t.” Whether it was Brienne who pulled her hand away or her suitor who let go of it, Tyrion couldn’t exactly make out. And it didn’t matter. What raised his hope was how appalled she appeared to be at the prospect. 

“Why not?” Tormund wanted to know, low and dejected. “Is there something wrong with me—”

“That is not what I meant.” The astonishment had worn off and something else took over her eyes. “It’s—” she faltered, colour flooding her cheeks.

“What is it, my lady?” Tyrion stepped in to intervene. 

“I cannot say,” she evaded.

She had to confess. She would. And so would his idiot of a brother. “It is only fair that Tormund deserves to know,” Tyrion implored, prodding her into speaking her heart. “You have stolen his heart,” he went on, when she continued to keep hesitant silence. “He thinks of nought, but you—”

“My heart is not mine to be given away to him,” she said, her chin quivering, voice choked and suffused with emotion. “Or to anyone else but the man who—” She took in a deep gulp of air. “I do not wish to speak any more about this.”

“You can’t leave such deep truths unfinished, Brienne,” replied another equally emotional voice. 

With a smile to himself and a sigh of satisfaction, Tyrion stepped aside, letting his brother come to the fore and manage the rest.

“It is highly unfair to the man who you refer to in less than direct words,” Jaime complained, trying to be subtle and composed, but failing miserably, his broken tone, his lovelorn eyes giving it all away. 

“Ser Jaime—”

“I know who it is, my lady,” his brother kept going, mincing no words this time as he reached out to take her hand. “I—” 

“She means the Kingkiller,” Tormund bellowed, loud enough for their entire audience to hear. “Her eyes—look at the way she’s looking at him. She loves him—”

“Indeed, she does,” Tyrion agreed, his heart soaring when his brother kissed the blushing lady’s hand. “He loves her, too.”

“I do,” Jaime softly concurred, lost in the eyes of the woman who had stolen his dreams and so much more. “It did take me a solitary ride North to wake up to it, though.” Her hand still in his, he drew closer. “I made a sincere attempt to tell you earlier, Brienne, but sadly, such skills, I sorely lack.”

She answered with a musical laugh. “You didn’t say anything your usual self would have, and while that was a hint to me, I was not entirely certain—”

“I also asked you if you’ll have me,” he said, the hushed earnestness in his voice tossing her back to seriousness. “I wish for you to give me your answer tonight, my lady.” The hall was completely quiet, but for the sounds of the fire, and Tyrion could hear their heavy breathing. “I don’t know if I can give you a life others would envy, but it would be the way you want it to be—” 

“Yes,” she whispered, her other hand reaching for his right.

Jaime’s face lit up with the radiance of a thousand golden suns. “Did you just—” 

“I will have you,” she said, in a tone that told Tyrion that the two of them needed to spend whatever was left of this night in each other’s exclusive company.

No disturbance. No hindrances. Nothing to invade the privacy of the sweet words of love and the promises yet to be made.

“Come on, now.” Tyrion gently tugged at Tormund’s hand. The man turned, his eyes still frozen in stunned disbelief. “Let’s go outside and divert you with something else.” He walked to the door, beckoning to him to follow, feeling somewhat sorry that he’d had to sacrifice this man for his brother’s sake. “Once this is all over, I’m sure you’ll find someone who’d be delighted to have you.”

Still morose, but knowing he had to accept defeat, Tormund joined him, and so did the rest of their company, leaving the fireplace to the newly acknowledged lovers.

They would, after all, have a lot to talk about.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading and I appreciate the kudos and your lovely comments :)


End file.
